Time passed faster than anyone realized.
The days that once felt long and filled with preparations now crumbled one by one like sand slipping through fingers. The Nocture mist never truly lifted again; it hung thick and permanent, as if the city itself were holding its breath, waiting for something immense and inevitable.
And that something finally arrived.
From afar, long before the eye could see it clearly, the earth had already begun to speak.
Subtle vibrations rippled through the dead soil beyond Nocture's walls not a harsh earthquake that toppled buildings, but a heavy, rhythmic pulse, like the synchronized footsteps of a giant army marching in unison. The zombie birds on the watchtowers flew low, their cries echoing as warnings. The death crystals along the walls trembled faintly, emitting a brighter purple glow than usual.
The armies were coming.
